John Cho conforms to precisely one stereotype of the
Asian-American man: he works very hard. Otherwise, what he seems to be working
hardest at is defying conventional expectations. After moving with his family
from South Korea to Los Angeles at the age of six, the young Cho immersed
himself in the culture of southern California, and when this bright young man
went off to the University of California, Berkeley, he chose to major in
English literature, not math or science. Returning to Los Angeles, he became the
lead vocalist of an active rock band, now named Viva La Union, while
simultaneously accepting every single acting role that his agent could land,
slowly but surely maneuvering his way up to better parts; and, while best known
for his work in comedies, he is now improbably endeavoring to reinvent himself
as a macho action star. Technically, to be sure, he perhaps has not yet done
enough significant work in the field of science fiction and fantasy film to
warrant an entry in this volume, but that was also true of Brendan
FRASER when
I first discussed that rising young star, and I've been forced to periodically
update his entry ever since. Keeping the equally industrious John Cho's entry
current, I suspect, will also become an ongoing chore.

In his early years as an actor, Cho did contrive to appear
in some major science fiction and fantasy films, like Down to Earth, Evolution,
and Solaris, without making any sort of impression; indeed, I have seen
those films but cannot recall precisely what Cho was doing in any of them. He
was having more of an impact with numerous roles outside the scope of this
volume in television and film comedies, including small parts in the American
Pie series (American Pie [1999], American Pie 2 [2001], and American
Wedding [2003]) and, most prominently, as one of the stoner stars of the
delightful Harold and Kumar films (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
[2004], Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay [2008]). One might
say that Cho and co-star Kal Penn were becoming the Cheech and Chong of their
generation, except that unlike that pair, I cannot imagine those two very
serious young men spending much time smoking pot off the set. In any event,
while they may reunite for a third Harold and Kumar film, they preferred to
seek more demanding assignments, as Penn accepted a position in the Obama
administration while Cho elected to enlist in J. J. ABRAMS' revival of the Star
Trek franchise.

In the first film of that series, Cho undoubtedly proved to
be a more robust and persuasive Ensign Sulu than George
TAKEI could ever
muster, but that amicably inept actor has so marginalized the Sulu character
that Cho will have to fight to get more screen time in what are likely to be
several more Star Trek films. As if preparing for that challenge, Cho
then signed up to do some heavy lifting as a tough FBI agent in the television
series FlashForward. Therein, it was refreshing to see an Asian hero
fighting the usual way with guns and fisticuffs instead of fancy martial-arts
moves, and he also got to romance not one but two beautiful women during the
series' brief run. Nevertheless, while he performed these duties with
impeccable skill, one could not shake the feeling that Cho would feel more comfortable
being a clown, smoking a joint and stuffing his face with Twinkies. (In his one
lighter moment, he did contribute some memorably horrid karaoke versions of
"Sister Christian" and "Like a Rolling Stone" to one episode, struggling to
make his voice sound worse than it actually is.) Yet Brendan Fraser (I am
liking the analogy more and more) has also distinguished himself by his
stubborn determination to keep taking on roles that seem to be outside his
range, and workaholic actors do have to demonstrate a certain amount of
flexibility to remain constantly busy.

And so, as his next bold career move, I suggest that John
Cho combine his interests in comedy, science fiction, and music by hustling his
way into the leading role of a film version of Bat Boy—The Musical; and
while it might seem a stretch, I am sure that John Cho will work very hard to
provide the very best performance possible.